The Florida Senate

625.52  Securities eligible for deposit.--

(1)  All deposits by insurers and agents required for authority to transact insurance in this state must be limited to the following types:

(a)  Cash delivered to the department for the Treasury Cash Deposit Trust Fund.

(b)  United States Government bonds, notes, and bills for which the full faith and credit of the Government of the United States is pledged for the payment of principal and interest.

(c)  United States and Canadian public bonds and notes of any state or of the District of Columbia, or the Government of Canada or any province thereof, for which the full faith and credit of the issuer has been pledged for the payment of principal and interest.

(d)  United States and Canadian county, provincial, municipal, and district bonds and notes for which the issuer has lawful authority to levy taxes or make assessments for the payment of principal and interest.

(e)  Bonds and notes of any federal agency which are guaranteed as to payment of principal and interest by the United States.

(f)  International development bank bonds and notes issued, assumed, and guaranteed by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the African Development Bank or the International Finance Corporation.

(g)  Corporate bonds and notes of any private corporations that are not affiliates or subsidiaries of the insurer, which corporations are organized under the laws of the United States, Canada, any state, the District of Columbia, any territory or possession of the United States, or any province of Canada.

(h)  Certificates of deposit.

(2)  To be eligible for deposit under subsection (1), any bond or note must have the following characteristics:

(a)  The bond or note must be interest-bearing or interest-accruing, and the insurer must be the exclusive owner of the interest accruing thereon and entitled to receive the interest for its account.

(b)  The issuer must be in a solvent financial condition and the bond or note must not be in default.

(c)  The bond or note must be rated in one of the four highest classifications by an established, nationally recognized investment rating service or must have been given a rating of 1 by the Securities Valuation Office of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

(d)  The market value of the bond or note must be readily ascertainable.

(e)  The bond or note must be the direct obligation of the issuer.

(f)  The bond or note must be stated in United States dollar denominations.

(g)  The bond or note must be eligible for book-entry form on the books of the Federal Reserve Book-Entry System or in a depository trust clearing system.

(3)  To be eligible for deposit under paragraph (1)(h), any certificate of deposit must have the following characteristics:

(a)  The certificate of deposit must be issued by a bank, savings bank, or savings association that is organized under the laws of the United States, of this state, or of any other state and that has a principal office or branch office in this state which is authorized to receive deposits in this state.

(b)  The certificate of deposit must be interest-bearing and may not be issued in discounted form.

(c)  The certificate of deposit must be issued for a period of not less than 1 year.

(d)  The issuing bank, savings bank, or savings association must agree to the terms and conditions of the department regarding the rights to the certificate of deposit and must have executed a written certificate of deposit agreement with the department. The terms and conditions of such agreement shall include, but need not be limited to:

1.  Exclusive authorized signature authority for the Chief Financial Officer.

2.  Agreement to pay, without protest, the proceeds of its certificate of deposit to the department within 30 business days after presentation.

3.  Prohibition against levies, setoffs, survivorship, or other conditions that might hinder the department's ability to recover the full face value of a certificate of deposit.

4.  Instructions regarding interest payments, renewals, taxpayer identification, and early withdrawal penalties.

5.  Agreement to be subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of this state, or those of the United States which are located in this state, for the purposes of any litigation arising out of this section.

6.  Such other conditions as the department requires.

(4)  The office or department may refuse to accept certain securities or refuse to accept the reported market value of certain securities offered pursuant to this section in order to ensure that sufficient cash and securities are on hand to meet the purposes of the deposit. In making a refusal under this subsection, the guidelines for use of the office or department may include, but need not be limited to, whether the market value of the securities cannot be readily ascertained and the lack of liquidity of the securities. Securities refused under this subsection are not acceptable as deposits.

(5)  All deposits required of a domestic insurer pursuant to the laws of another state, province, or country must be comprised of securities of the kinds required under subsection (1), having the characteristics required under subsections (2) and (3), and permitted by the laws of the other state, province, or country, except common stocks, mortgages or loans of any kind, real estate investment trust funds or programs, commercial paper, and letters of credit.

(6)  Deposits of foreign insurers made in this state under the retaliatory provision, s. 624.5091, must consist of such securities or assets as are required by the department pursuant to the retaliatory provision.

History.--s. 168, ch. 59-205; ss. 13, 35, ch. 69-106; s. 3, ch. 76-168; s. 1, ch. 77-457; ss. 2, 3, ch. 81-318; ss. 125, 134, 809(1st), ch. 82-243; s. 12, ch. 82-386; s. 83, ch. 83-216; s. 12, ch. 85-245; s. 6, ch. 87-331; s. 47, ch. 89-360; s. 10, ch. 90-119; s. 42, ch. 90-132; ss. 54, 187, 188, ch. 91-108; s. 4, ch. 91-429; s. 22, ch. 95-211; s. 18, ch. 99-3; s. 5, ch. 2000-352; s. 892, ch. 2003-261.